I was walking the dog last night (late last night) and made mental notes about this or that coming to maturity. I'm currently keeping eye on a patch of overgrown mahogany and gold marigolds at the back parking lot of the local Duncans. I can feel the need for a Coolatta coming on...maybe I'll bring a baggie tonight too ;-)

A cup of coffee, a donut and seeds! Is there anything better than that?

Happy Seeds!

T

I have been eyeing a gorgeous stand of tall miscanthus on a corner a few blocks away, and some lovely little petunias in another corner planting. Time to start walking again =) Last year I got a nice handful of hollyhock pods from a different corner planting. I don;t feel too guilty when taking seeds from these little corner gardens, they are on public property after all!

Of course, I still don't know where the heck I am going to find room for 7'+ tall ornamental grass, or why I would want pink petunias, and haven't planted the hollyhock seeds from last year. But I do like collecting the seeds! One year I even pulled a petunia stem out of the trash at work, it had good pods =) It is still in my seed box, labeled "mystery petunia, snatched from work." I think I need help....

Didn't know how to tell him I had about 12 packs of seeds as payment!

Trudi's Hubs holding the kleenex for her brings the first to mind.

Last Fall, I met up with my first true love at one of our high school chum's funeral. Let's just say that after 30+ years, the sparks were still there and leave it at that. He got his orders he was being shipped overseas 4 days after we got back together. We saw each other a few times before he left in January for Germany. We have corresponded through emails and phone calls. In July, my company sent me to Europe on business which was to be completed on my sweetheart's 50th birthday. So naturally I hooked up with him for a long week-end while I was on that side of the pond. We took a hike up the mountain behind our hotel and there were some beautiful foxglove seed heads everywhere. I started harvesting some of the seeds and my sweetheart brought me over a cash register receipt and held it for me while I dropped the seeds in it. He got big time points for that. He left for Iraq the next week and I won't see him until next July.

The other story is, Last Friday my daughter came to take me to the Emergency room because I have been having a medical situation that could not be diagnosed and was rapidly reaching crisis mode. When we parked the car, my daughter, also a seed snatcher, saw me eyeing the ripe grass plumes, and had to remind me it was not the proper time to be snatching seeds.

Kathy

And isn't it neat to have souvenirs growing in your yard? Brenda, I wonder if the parent plants are underwater now?

I have a great lilac that, while it doesn't look especially exotic, came from a cutting I took at St. Basil's on Red Square in Moscow five years ago.

Far more prosaic, and it wasn't techincally seed "snatching" -- I bought a half-dead "Red Rocks" penstemon for $1.99 at Lowe's yesterday because it was loaded with seed pods just ready to burst! I'm confident with some TLC I can recesitate the plant -- plus I have beaucoup seeds to play with!

There was an employee working not to far from where I was. The seedhead was perfectly ripe and right there at eye level. Who could resist? I had just clipped the seedstalk when he turned around. He saw me looking at the plant and said even seasoned gardeners like himself had difficulty keeping this plant alive and he suggested I look at other plants. Meanwhile I am trying to stash the seedhead into my palm without losing any seeds. I sowed about 15 yesterday and have about 15 more I will sow in the Winter if I don't have any seeds sprout from this sowing.

Kathy

Raney

If you get "caught" snatching, DEFEND your act bravely! Who can be mad at someone who is saving seed to make more flowers?

We need a bumper sticker.

Was trying some cardio tonight and found a neighbors house loaded wth tall pink platycodon loaded with pods. My pink platy was ravaged by something - I think grasshoppers - until my praying matises moved in and cleared the chompers out. I will be ringing that doorbell in a few days or so to get permission - there are scads of pods - hundreds. Can you imagine???????

I've also snatched Stella d'Oro daylily seeds from a strip mall - such easy gathering - and lots of short yellow yarrow from a parking lot in the past few weeks. I'm just getting warmed up and all of your stories (plus the encouragement of my rest area confidante) are just what I needed to keep me going.

Estelle

Got clematis from a vine hanging over a fence.
Got something unidentified (I'll post a pic on another thread)
Got purple morning glory (OK those are everywhere, but still)

--Carolyn

I don't feel guilty for taking seed from streetside plantings. They aren't going to be used, you are in effect deadheading. I do draw the line at taking cuttings from public gardens (known in the business as "finger blight"). When it's someone's garden, I ask. They may be planning to propagate; imagine if you had watched the seed pod come along of your special hybrid, to have it snatched one day... Most garden people are good friendly folk and like to exchange; I made several gardening friends that way back in Seattle. And of course then if you lose your plant, you know where to go. (An exception to this was the famous Elizabeth Miller, whose amazing garden was turned into a botanical garden. When her workers were pruning her rarities, she had them cut the prunings up into the smallest pieces possible so that nobody else would have the plant...)

Anyway, next spring I'll call my garden the Rahmi Yasaroglu Memorial Poppy Field in his honor. Hopefully Rahmi bey will be happy at having spread the beauty. ;)

Raney

I will NEVER be able to get them back in seeds, but I admit it's a thought ;-)

Ok ok ok maybe it’s not a mission but it keeps the guilt away while I pluck pods waiting for what I truly want THE CANNA!!!

oh yeah the bonus .... the whole time I'm being paid

Now it's gonna be time for some walks in the neighborhood and see what else I can find

Fran

You guys have now given me lots of good ideas!

We had breakfast at Bob Evans - literally a flower bed full of flowers in serious need of deadheading.

I had a Dr's appointment - again foundation plantings full of seeds.

On the way home there was a huge ( and beautiful ) planting at the front of a new apartment complex -

and again coming into the drive I spied several varieties in the new subdevelopement model home plantings.

I took pics of everything and will have to look up a few - but these were all in areas open to the public and not a soul gave me a second notice.

Last month I got a beautiful bouquet of hydrangeas at our Farmer's Market. They were so great that I looked up propagation and planted cuttings. Well, they've rooted and I'm hooked. So last week I was at a nursery where I found a lovely specimen of hydrangea planted in ground, with no marker. I nipped off a little piece and it's now potted. Should I feel bad? Or return it?
Oh, and I believe I'll become a seed snatcher too!

MG

Plants should be ID'd before you put the seeds in to be sure they are not invasive. You could be creating a problem in your yard if you don't know what you are planting.

Otherwise, happy snatching!

Hi Im Dennis and I'm a seed snatcher

Hello Dennis...

I spotted her heading for the side of our house looking at other flowers...not to admire but for seeds! She climbed into the bed with my Flame Acanthus to take seeds off the plant...seeds that were not ready to be harvested!

I went out with her free seedlings and seeds; she wanted to know what the Russian Sage was...wanted to know where the seeds were. Then she stepped into the bed where my Oxblood Lilies are, looking for seeds on another Russian Sage.

Geez, she was getting free Flame Acanthus plants and free hollyhocks seeds...why did she need to step in my flowerbeds trying to snatch more seeds? None of the other people who have come to pick up the plants and seeds have attempted to jerk seeds off my plants.

Peggy

Had a laugh when I found out the name, seen it listed on GW a few times and thought it was a rose, lol.

Great to share good stuff,

GB

I live next door to a nursery that believes in pretty landscaping - Enough said;)

CrAzY LaRrY